Wish You Were Here

On its second birthday, Discover Greece wishes its family many happy returns

It’s incredible to think that two years have passed since Discover Greece was born.

This is our birthday message, celebrating an incredible journey and thanking you for being with us every step of the way.

Like any anniversary, it’s a time for reflection.

It started on 11 February 2014 with a simple promise. Every day and in every way, we would deliver to you a window to a beautiful country. The experiences, the food, the people, the beaches, the astonishing colours of the Aegean.

From classic holiday destinations explored as if for the first time, to hidden gems unearthed for the world to share. Hundreds of stories, thousands of images and dozens of videos, collectively forming a unique narrative.

And so, together, we built Discover Greece.

Our campaigns over the past two years have sought to identify the “why” as much as the “where”, with custom-made content, shared with you on our social media channels.

Through I’m an Athenian, we’ve made Athenians of you all, not once but twice, most recently by crafting a new and innovative language for the city. Thessaloniki tipped its heart with the Thessaloniki Big Heart drive, Corfu rightly took centre stage as the Spotlight Diva, and Central Greece was given attention it has never before received as we all discovered the revitalising balance of the region’s Life Essence.

Of course, a constant has been the legendary Greek summer. We took you up north for a touch of the exotic in Halkidiki’s Mirage in the Med and reminded you all that – whatever you were up to – Greek summer was Happening Now, with you without you.

Two million of you visited Discover Greece in 2015 and the awards have come in – twice each at Greece’s annual Tourism Awards and the prestigious Ermis Awards for marketing and communication. But the real reward has been in every like and comment you have share with us on social media.

It’s always been about building a community of ambassadors for Greece and opening a dialogue with you. Our Facebook family has passed 700.000 and we’re in daily contact on Twitter. Meanwhile, you could spend an afternoon on our YouTube page, and our blog is building up an impressive archive of traveller memories about Greece.

So it really has been a journey. But birthdays are about more than reflection. They’re also about making commitments for the future.

Well, here are ours. First it’s to reach 100 – as Greeks tell each other on their birthday. And it’s for our Facebook community to pass 1 million over the coming year.

Finally, a birthday wouldn’t be a birthday without making a wish.

It’s a simple one.

With every story, every campaign, every post and shared idea, it’s to tell you that one thought drives us: we wish you were here.

So, join us in celebrating two years of Discover Greece by using #CelebrateDG to share what you love most about Greece, and get our third year together off to the start it deserves.